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Churchill Downs suspends trainer after horse deaths ahead of Kentucky Derby

AP photo by Kiichiro Sato / Fans take photos in front of a statue of Barbaro at Churchill Downs on Thursday in Louisville, Ky. Barbaro won the 2006 Kentucky Derby by more than six lengths but shattered his leg two weeks later in the Preakness Stakes, which eventually led to the horse being euthanized.
AP photo by Kiichiro Sato / Fans take photos in front of a statue of Barbaro at Churchill Downs on Thursday in Louisville, Ky. Barbaro won the 2006 Kentucky Derby by more than six lengths but shattered his leg two weeks later in the Preakness Stakes, which eventually led to the horse being euthanized. AP photo by Kiichiro Sato / Fans take photos in front of a statue of Barbaro at Churchill Downs on Thursday in Louisville, Ky. Barbaro won the 2006 Kentucky Derby by more than six lengths but shattered his leg two weeks later in the Preakness Stakes, which eventually led to the horse being euthanized.

By BETH HARRIS / The Associated Press 4 min read

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Churchill Downs suspended trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. indefinitely, and Lord Miles, who is trained by Joseph, was scratched from the list of Kentucky Derby entrants Thursday, days after the sudden death of two of his horses at the track.

The suspension prohibits Joseph, or any trainer directly or indirectly employed by him, from entering horses in races or applying for stalls at all tracks owned by Churchill Downs Inc.

The decision comes after the deaths of Parents Pride on Saturday and Chasing Artie on Tuesday. Both collapsed on the track and died after races.

“Given the unexplained sudden deaths, we have reasonable concerns about the condition of his horses, and decided to suspend him indefinitely until details are analyzed and understood,” Bill Mudd, CDI president and chief operating officer, said in a statement released Thursday. “The safety of our equine and human athletes and integrity of our sport is our highest priority. We feel these measures are our duty and responsibility.”

Investigators have yet to find any cause in the deaths of Joseph’s two horses in a 72-hour span, along with two others over the past week at the track, which has cast a pall over Churchill Downs in the final preparations for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, the first leg of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown series.